Imperious Malevolence
by Forbidden Interludes
Summary: Never assume an enemy is dead, that should have been one of the first things Yusuke learned. When Keiko is taken the only hope of getting her back lays with Hiei. When Botan gets caught in the middle will she do whatever is required to get them all home?


Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho

Title: Imperious Malevolence

Author/Artist: Forbidden Interludes

Theme(s): 002. Night 010. Woods

Pairing/Characters: Hiei/Botan

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Summary: Never assume an enemy is dead, that should have been one of the first things Yusuke learned as a Spirit Detective. When Keiko is taken the only hope of getting her back lays with Hiei. When Botan gets caught in the middle will she do whatever is required to make sure they all make it home safely?

Author's Note: This is the version with the lemon edited out. If you're wanting to read the full version it is posted on mediaminer under the same pen name. Thank you to everyone who chooses to review this story.

"Tell me again why you couldn't have picked somewhere closer Keiko. You know, like somewhere in Japan?" Yusuke grumbled as a passenger shoved against him, it was far too crowded to be having this conversation but Keiko hadn't given him much choice. Together they pushed their way through the crowd of people walking through the terminal as he struggled to hold onto his temper and she tried to explain it to him once again. A scowl marred his face as his fiance shouted in order to be heard through the dull roar of the other people, as if dealing with standing through the long lines hadn't been enough he'd also been the one to get the privilege of carrying her bags, all five of them in fact though three of them were safely headed towards the cargo area by now. _'Couldn't she have packed two bags of clothes and left the rest of this shit at home?'_

Keiko sighed as her head began pounding, a sure sign that she would have a migraine in very short order. She'd already explained this at least ten times already just today not to mention how many times during the past week and by now she was thoroughly convinced it was Yusuke's sole mission in life to give her a headache of gigantic proportions as revenge for deciding to take a year to study abroad. "My reasoning hasn't changed from the last time you asked me this Yusuke. Accademia d'Arte is a prestigious school and I'm glad they chose to accept me into their program! So what if it is in Italy? It's only for a year and when I come back there is a good chance I'll already have people interested in my work." Seeing the look on his face she realized he was barely paying attention to her. "Yusuke! Are you listening to me?" When his head snapped around to look in her direction again Keiko sighed, one of these days he was going to give himself whiplash doing that. "Look, I waited three years for you. Is it too much to ask you to wait one for me?"

"I know what you're saying Keiko." There wasn't anything Yusuke could do to argue the point with her and he knew it but that didn't mean he had to like it or appreciate it either. "So you want to learn how to draw, I get that. All I want to know is why the hell can't you pick a place closer? I didn't even know you could speak Italian. Or Spanish, or whatever the hell language it is they speak over there." A glare was given to one person who leveled a dirty look at him for his use of language, it was enough to encourage the woman to leave which was fine with him. He had enough problems right now without dealing with the public. "I'm sure we have good schools here, at least then I'd get to see you every couple of weeks."

"It's Italian and you should already know that I can speak fluent English, French and Italian because I took them in school, something you would have known if you had bothered showing up more than once a week!" Keiko sighed, sometimes she honestly wondered if Yusuke had rocks in his head for all that he seemed to use it or if he was being deliberately dense just to annoy her although she knew that him being somehow challenged with learning was far from the case. _'That would be like saying Kurama had problems learning.'_ She didn't bother to look back at him as they walked through the metal detectors without incident, knowing that the comment had probably managed to piss him off. _'Oh well, it's not like I wanted to spend our last couple of minutes together fighting.' _It was a less than perfect end for their time together and there was a good chance they'd both be regretting what had been said before the plane even landed in Florence. Coming towards the terminal Keiko stopped and turned towards her boyfriend, her expression softening. "Look, it's only for a year and I'll be coming back for the holidays alright? I'm sure Kuwabara and Kurama will be more than happy to keep you occupied until I return."

Yusuke sighed as he pulled her ticket and passport out of the inner pocket of his denim jacket and handed them to her. "You'd better call when you get there." He might not like that she was taking off on him but he wasn't going to stop her if that was what she wanted to do. He'd give her a year, perhaps even more if she asked it of him. Seeing the slight smile cross Keiko's face had him relaxing slightly, at least she'd be happy. "And you'd better be careful. If any of those guys end up hitting on you I want to know about it. Don't think I won't come out there just to kick someone's ass if they think about taking advantage of you." She giggled at him then, in spite of the fact that he had a fist clenched to emphasize his point. Getting a plane ticket out there was out of the question but that didn't mean he didn't have other methods. A quick call to Koenma could have a portal opened to anywhere he wished to go, even if the demigod might need a bit of persuasion before Yusuke got what he wanted.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that Yusuke." One thing Keiko could always count on was that Yusuke would be protective of her. No doubt should she call saying someone attempted to take advantage of her he'd be there within hours and there would be hell to pay. Raising up on her tip toes she pressed a small kiss to his lips, enjoying the startled look that crossed his face. It wasn't often that she indulged in public affection but given the circumstances this one time wouldn't hurt. Placing her hand in his she turned to look out the large window, sighing when she realized she couldn't see much. Darkness blanketed the area which was no surprise given how late at night it was. On any other day she'd be preparing for bed now, but this particular flight had been her only option. Tuition and supplies were expensive, not to mention the housing costs since she'd be forced into renting an apartment for the year. It was necessary to save money wherever she could and if it meant flying at night then so be it.

Deep in the shadows, unnoticed by the two lovers that were engaged in conversation while staring at the night sky, three demons crept towards the plane where the baggage was being loaded. It was easy to remain hidden as dark as it was although one took to the air and made sure the plane was indeed the correct one. It'd been difficult tracking the human girl without detection because Yusuke was almost always with her when she was within easy reach. But Murugu had picked up some interesting information during her time spying and now the time was at hand to snatch the woman who meant so much to the one who had defeated Suzaku. She'd nearly been killed at the same time that her master had but at the last moment she'd given off an incredible burst of energy which had enabled her to phase to a safe place where she could recover. It had taken months and her body was horribly scarred but slowly she'd regained her strength and ability to fly once again. Flying back down to the cloaked figures she chortled. Once the saint beasts had fallen the city surrounding Maze Castle had fallen to ruin and left the apparitions that dwelled within leaderless. It'd been simple to find a couple that were intelligent enough to implant the idea for revenge within them and then come up with a plan to hurt Yusuke in the cruelest means possible, through Keiko. It had been imperative however that the ones chosen were easy to control or her plan would fall to ruin. "It's almost time, to the plane. Hurry!"

A high pitched chuckle was muffled behind thick material as they bolted for the open cargo door while there was no one looking. By the time anyone would have noticed the sounds of their footsteps on the metal surface more baggage was being thrown onto the conveyor belts overwhelming any sounds they made. None of them knew just where they were going exactly since they were unfamiliar with the technology of the ningenkai. However they did realize the further they were from the entrance the better off they would be and thus moved towards the nose of the plane. For several long minutes they waited in the dark shadows that they had managed to find, neither speaking while Murugu kept watch. Finally the cargo doors closed and all was silent. "Humans..." One hissed as the sound of footsteps echoed over their heads, signaling the boarding of the passengers. "Feast soon?" The other inquired, saliva dripping off of his fangs at the prospect of so much meat nearby.

Murugu fluttered down, cocking her head at the two before dropping an artifact in one apparition's hand. "No you don't, not yet. I don't care how many of them you take when we go through the portal but Keiko is not to be touched. She alone must suffer for Urameshi's actions!" Her feathers ruffled as she stared hard at the two before her, it would have been nice if she could have brought more but they would have been noticed. Still, they should be able to grab four or five humans in addition to the girl in order to sate their hunger.

"Soon then." The one with the artifact hissed, stroking his fingers over the object. It was the one thing that would allow them to escape quickly into the Makai as was the plan. Without their numbers their strength was severely limited even against humans. They would accomplish their objective and leave. Of course they had plans for Keiko and Yusuke to reunite, though the girl would be in pieces when it happened again. A hand here, a head there. They would ensure that the former detective knew of her fate in the most gruesome of ways before it was all said and done. The metal beneath them lurched as the sounds of the engines kicked on, slowly gaining in intensity. Before long the muffled sounds of an intercom could be heard, instructing the humans on flying procedure. A violent shift had one of them crashing to the floor, causing the other to scowl. "Find safety we do until it is time to strike."

"Over here." Murugu settled between two crates that were strapped down, examining the cargo nets that were wrapped around the both of them. Quickly the two apparitions settled down between the large boxes and together they waited as the plane taxied down the run way. It was imperative they wait until they were in the air because if they attacked too soon, the plane would return to the airport and Urameshi would no doubt come to stop them from taking the girl. Instead they would wait until they were in the air, it was of no concern to them if the other two hundred people on board attempted to stop them for those who tried would die. Suddenly the plane lurched to a stop, making them wonder if they'd somehow been discovered after all.

Moments later the engines powered up again and the plane began its rush down the runway, quickly gaining speed and sending it into the air. Still the demons remained stationary, biding their time until the aircraft leveled out and once more the intercom signaled that the passengers could remove their seat belts. One apparition looked to Murugu, a malevolent look in his eyes as he gestured towards the ceiling that separated them from the humans. "Now?" he queried, waiting for the bird to give them the permission they needed to begin their mission.

Nodding quickly, Murugu deemed it was time to strike. Later on they could decide just what piece of the woman to send to the man, after they were safe. "Yes, now." Her eyes glowed in the darkness for a few moments, reinforcing the ideas in their minds that Keiko was the main objective and not the other humans. While her abilities at mind manipulation were weak at best, they were more than enough to ensure that their target would be the girl that Urameshi was so attached to. Immediately the two began moving, though they set off in opposite directions in their hunt for a way to the cabin of the plane. Quietly she trailed behind one of the apparitions who was sniffing the air thoroughly. "Do you sense her?" Murugu knew that it was a long shot since they'd be going by Urameshi's scent and not the girls.

"Smell food!" Unerringly the little demon's nose had led him towards the rear of the plane where the coach passengers were seated. He paid no attention to the bird scanning the area as he sought a way up to where the humans were seated. The sound of feathers beating the air had him turning to look at Murugu as she approached a set of stairs. The bird would make a good distraction if she chose to announce her presence while he snatched a human or two. Quickly he turned back towards the wall and surveyed what appeared to be a door that lead to a crawl space. Perhaps this would be their easy access to the people above. As the apparition climbed a nearby crate in effort to reach the small door he hissed at his companion, gaining his attention. "Gather food, then leave. Hurry we must!"

The sound of tearing metal filled the air as they ripped the door off of its hinges before dropping it carelessly to the ground. No longer were they concerned with attracting attention, the humans would be powerless to stop them by now. Masses of colored wire lay before them though the opening revealed there would be plenty of room for them to crawl through once the strands were out of the way. Sharp claws severed through the electrical wires quickly, giving them both a few shocks but it wasn't enough to deter them. "Go now!" The path was cleared and they squeezed through the opening quickly to peer at the final barrier between them and the humans. Brute strength was used to tear through the floor just as the plane lurched violently to the side. Screams filled the air though neither knew if it was because of their appearance or the wild ride the plane was now giving them.

Keiko's fingers gripped the armrests hard enough that her knuckles turned white. For some reason the intercom had failed, making it impossible to address the passengers as to exactly what the problem was so the flight attendants were now trying to calm the passengers through in her opinion the women sounded just as terrified as everyone else. Worry gripped her at the possibilities of what could possibly be going wrong. It wasn't mere turbulence, the plane wouldn't have altered course so suddenly. A storm also seemed unlikely considering the skies were clear. Anxiously Keiko looked out the window, peering through the darkness in an attempt to see if there was something wrong with an engine but her visibility was next to nothing when peering out into the night sky. She couldn't even tell if they were still above land or had begun to cross the ocean yet.

What she hadn't expected however was the passengers two rows in front of her to suddenly bolt out of their seats looking as if the devil himself had come for them. It wasn't long however before Keiko realized why, when two short cloaked figures stepped into the isle way. Malevolent laughter reached her ears as they turned towards her and as soon as she saw their eyes cloaked in the shadows of their hoods she knew that they were all in trouble. A clawed hand pointed at her and as one they began walking her way. "Come on, come on! Let go you stupid thing!" Quickly she fumbled with the seatbelt holding her down in an attempt to get free. It was obvious they were after her now and she'd be helpless against them if she remained seated. Chances were that she wouldn't be able to fight them off any way but she had to try. Just as the seatbelt came free one of the apparitions sprang towards her. With great difficulty Keiko dodged, only to be knocked to the ground by the second demon. "Someone help me!"

Roughly she was turned over onto her back by the demon, his rancid breath hitting her in the face and making her want to vomit. As she turned her head she saw a man standing, intent on helping her but he quickly fell to his knees with blood staining the front of his shirt. The second demon stood over him, his claws dripping the crimson liquid as he brought his hand up to taste it. Keiko stared wide eyed, wondering if they were about to kill her when a green bird flew through the passageway to land by her head. Pain seared through the side of her face as the bird bit her harshly and Keiko tried to jerk away but was held firm.

"We're going to die!"

A woman began screaming as the plane's nose tilted downward causing Keiko to slide towards the front of the aircraft despite having a demon on top of her. Sharp claws pierced her skin easily as the apparition sought to maintain its grip on her. The lights flickered overhead for a moment before going out completely plunging the cabin into darkness. Those who hadn't panicked before were doing so now joining the others in hysteria. Keiko's ears popped painfully with the change in pressure signaling just how fast they were descending. "Yusuke!" She cried out even knowing that he wouldn't be able to hear her, much less save her from this mess. She was going to die and she knew it, she could only pray that Koenma would give her one last chance to speak with the man she loved before she was forced to take her place in the afterlife.

"Yusuke can't help you now girl! It's his fault you will die!" Murugu hissed at the fallen girl with satisfaction at seeing her eyes widen. An eye for an eye she always said, the spirit detective had taken someone important away from her and now it was only fair that she return the favor. In the darkness she could see one of her cohorts preparing to eat the fallen male which had her growling in irritation. They didn't have time for this!" We have to go now! Prepare the portal." A look of disappointment flashed over the demon's eyes but he obeyed readily enough, sending his energy into the jewel she had provided to him. A flash of light engulfed them all, transporting them and a handful of humans which had gotten caught in the portal into the Makai. Only once they were settled comfortably on the sand did Murugu breath a sigh of relief, what happened to the rest of the humans was not her concern. Let them perish for all she cared, she had the one she'd come for.

Dust pelted them from all sides as more demons joined them from beneath the ground, some circling the humans who had been brought through eagerly. Blood was shed quickly and the screams of the dying filled the air as Keiko watched in horror. Only when she attempted to back away from the carnage did teeth sink into her own tender flesh, the apparition behind her giving fair warning that she was not to move unless she wished to join in the other's fates. Only the darkened pink sky overhead gave an indication on just where she was and her hope sank as she realized that they were in the Makai. It seemed unlikely that anyone would find her now.

Back in the Ningenkai

For now he ignored the carnage that lay scattered about on the ground, pieces of debris everywhere. Body parts were in abundance, torn apart when the plane had crashed into the ground. It would take forever for the proper authorities to sort through the wreckage. "Dammit, I said I'm not going!" The spirit looked at the woman who claimed to be his guide with an expression of irritation. Sure, he knew that he was dead. Hell, so where a lot of people but _she_ wasn't one of them, not yet anyway. How long it would stay that way was another story however and time couldn't be wasted in arguing with the blue haired woman any longer. "Look, why don't you do something useful like find that girl the creatures took!" Seeing the ferry girl's eyes widen had him breathing a sigh of relief, finally she might listen to him.

"Maybe you should tell me what you're talking about. What creatures?" Botan's patience was nearing its end though with good reason. It wasn't often that airplanes crashed in the first place and they hadn't been expecting this one. Koenma had dispatched her and a team of ten other girl's two hours ago and they were still hard at work trying to convince the restless souls to go with them. This man was the first one who seemed to be calm enough to tell her what had happened even if he had driven her to distraction just in reaching this point.

"These two... things came up out of the bottom of the plane and grabbed a nice girl by the name of Keiko. Don't ask me what the hell they were, all i know is they had green skin, yellow eyes and pointed teeth." The spirit talked quickly, hoping the ferry girl wouldn't ask him too many questions. Time had to be running out for the girl, though why they'd gone after her in the first place was beyond him. She seemed like such a nice girl, very open and friendly to speak with. They'd had such a good conversation going on before all hell had broken loose. "I tried to stop them but one of the little fuckers cut me open. The last thing I heard was this nasty little bird saying something like, Yusuke can't help you now and then I lost consciousness." When she remained staring at him with shock etched on her face he shouted at her, "Well? Aren't you going to go help her?!"

The shouted question snapped her out of her stupor long enough to grab the spirit and shake him roughly. "Are you sure that's what you saw!" Botan didn't even want to consider the possibility that Keiko had been on this plane but what other choice did she have? While the name wasn't uncommon, mentioned in connection with Yusuke went beyond mere coincidence. What could a pair of demons possibly want with Keiko? "Dammit answer me, are you sure?" The scene between them was already attracting attention, Ayame having stopped the job she was doing of consoling another spirit to look at her strangely.

"Of course I'm sure, I tried to help her and look where it got me!" The spirit shouted back at her before he was abruptly released and shoved away. He watched in stunned disbelief as the girl turned quickly and held out her hand to materialize an oar out in front of her. The expression on her face was wild and desperate which forced him to wonder if there was a chance this girl knew Keiko somehow. Another woman was now approaching him, her face solemn as she picked her way through the wreckage. Now that he knew that someone would try and help the captured girl he wouldn't resist them in taking him to the afterlife. Giving the woman a tired smile that didn't reach his eyes, he nodded his head, "I'm ready to go whenever you are."

The wind tore at Botan's hair as she urged her oar to move faster. Thankfully Yusuke's house wasn't terribly far away and she'd be able to reach him quickly but she had to wonder what condition he would be in when she did. The man had to know that Keiko had been on the plane. Had he heard the news about the plane crash yet? In all honesty she hoped that he hadn't. As much as she hated being the bearer of bad news it would still be easier to make the man understand that there was still a chance that Keiko was alive. There was also a chance that he would know of who was responsible and if that was the case maybe they'd have a place to start looking though she was willing to bet her position in the Reikai that the demons had already taken the girl back to the Makai.

Suddenly the Toushin's house came into view and Botan didn't waste any time with the formalities of knocking on the door. All the lights were off in the house which meant he was likely to be asleep and next to impossible to wake up. Taking a chance she tried the door but as expected it was locked, leaving her to sigh. "Sorry Yusuke." With those words she took the oar in her hands and busted out a small window nearby before reaching through and unlocking the front door. Glass crunched beneath her sandals as she ran through the house and towards his bedroom. "Yusuke! Yusuke wake up, Keiko needs you!"

The sounds of breaking glass had woken Yusuke up easily enough, his dreams having been troubled making for an uneasy sleep. Hearing Botan's anxious voice had him leaping out of bed and running for the door causing him to nearly collide with the woman. It was only quick thinking on his part which kept the ferry girl from falling on her ass as she slid to a stop to keep from running into him. "What the hell is going on? What's wrong with Keiko?" The worry he'd been feeling since he'd left the airport only continued to intensify as he stared down into Botan's eyes. Something terribly wrong had taken place, he could feel it.

"Yusuke! Keiko's been taken!" It probably wasn't the best way to tell him in retrospect Botan realized when she found herself pushed against a wall. Even in doing so he'd made sure not to hurt her and for once she let it slide. She'd reacted the same way with the poor soul who had witnessed the thing after all, the guy probably thought she was more than a little bit deranged for the way she'd acted. And now Yusuke was concerned, that was only to be expected given the circumstances. She could only imagine how painful hearing those words had been to him, they were hard on her as well and the attachment she had to the brunette wasn't anywhere near as strong.

"What the hell do you mean taken?" A thousand possibilities raced through his mind at those words. Had the plane been hijacked or something? A glance outside told him it was still dark so there was no way in hell that the plane had already arrived at its destination. Dread filled him at the thought, if that was the case there wasn't shit that he could do to help Keiko. It was doubtful that Koenma would be able to open a portal directly onto the aircraft and it wasn't like he had wings. Abruptly he left the ferry girl go, having realized that his hands were gripping her too tightly for comfort, she'd probably have bruises from them later.

Botan took a deep breath and ignored the pain in her shoulders for the time being. "Yusuke, at least three demons attacked the plane shortly after take off and it crashed on the coastline. We didn't even know Keiko was on the plane and we thought there were no survivors." Pain flashed deep in those brown eyes and it forced Botan into hurrying in her explanation. "One of the spirits I was trying to help over told me that Keiko was on the plane and that they'd taken her before it crashed." Gently she laid a hand on the man's shoulder, watching the transformation of his emotions going from pain and sadness to anger. "I don't know if this means anything to you or not but he said that there was a bird and it spoke to Keiko, saying that even you couldn't help her now. Does that mean anything to you?"

"Murugu," Yusuke growled the name knowing exactly who Botan had been talking about. "The bitch has taken Keiko into the Makai for revenge most likely." The bird had been a major annoyance in his fight with Suzaku and he'd thought that she'd been fried in the blast that had killed her master. Now Keiko was paying for his mistake of not making certain but he'd been rendered so close to death with that final attack. Still, he should have went back to Maze castle and finished the job. Perhaps then Keiko would still be safely on the plane and all those people wouldn't have died. Before he could storm off and make his way into the Makai, Botan stopped him and Yusuke was forced to look at her once more. "What?"

"I know you want to rush off and save her Yusuke but stop for a moment." Botan wanted nothing more than to run off and help him but she knew that they were likely to need help. Besides, Keiko was a friend to them all. The others deserved to know as well. "Murugu had help and we don't know who it was or where they took her exactly. Call Kurama and Kuwabara, with their help we'll be able to find her faster. While you're doing that I'll go and get Hiei looking for her too. With all of you looking you'll find her soon and make sure they can't try anything like this again." It was a long shot, asking him to seek help but it was the best chance they had of finding her. If it was revenge the demons were after then Keiko wouldn't live long. Yes, it would take time to get the other men involved but it would still be quicker than Yusuke hunting the Makai alone.

Though he disliked the woman's words Yusuke knew that she had a good point, as familiar as he was with the Makai after living there for three years Hiei and Kurama would have an advantage over him in knowing where to look. "Fine, you see if you can find Hiei and I'll get the other two. Hurry Botan, if it is her I don't think Keiko will live for very long." Botan nodded once at him and raced for the door again while he turned and made his way to the phone. As much as he hated to admit it Botan was probably the better choice for locating Hiei quickly. If nothing else she had the whistle that he'd heard so much about, Hiei would seek her out just to shove the damned thing down her throat if he could. Picking up his cell phone he punched in Kurama's number while walking out the door, knowing the kitsune was likely to be home even if he was asleep. "Come on Kurama, pick up!"

Hearing the phone ring Kurama rolled over in bed, his first instinct was to ignore the annoying sound and return to sleep. However when it didn't stop after a few moments he sighed and opened his blurry eyes, trying to get them to focus without much success. Realizing he wasn't going to make out the number on the caller id before his caller hung up he snatched up the receiver. 'This had better be an emergency', he thought as he brought it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Kurama? We've got problems." Yusuke said, letting his friend know just who it was as he ran down the street towards Kuwabara's house. Normally he would have just called the other man up but since the border wasn't that far from his place it was easier than making Kuwabara come to his house just to return home once more. "Look, Keiko's been taken and is probably in the Makai by now."

"What?" Kurama sat up quickly, his tiredness fading quickly upon hearing Yusuke's words. Before another word could be uttered he was pulling himself out of bed and making his way towards his closet. "I thought Keiko was supposed to be flying to Italy tonight?" The idea that Keiko had been taken into the Makai seemed far fetched but he knew that this wasn't something that Yusuke would joke about.

"You heard me Kurama, it was Murugu. I'm sure of it." Yusuke shifted his grip on his phone to make sure he had a good grip on it as he ran through the night. "I put her on the plane and Botan was the one who told me. They crashed the plane Kurama and killed everyone on board." Fury gripped him knowing just how many people had died in this attempt to get revenge on him and now there was a good chance that Keiko would die as well if they didn't get to her in time.

"Murugu?" Kurama didn't recognize the name but he was certain that Yusuke would be more than willing to fill him in. Just because he hadn't heard the name before meant nothing, the toushin had at least as many enemies as he did by now if not more so. "Information would be prudent at this time Yusuke if we are to reach her quickly." It was difficult to get dressed with one hand but he was managing to make decent time in doing so.

Yusuke swore to himself hearing the question, it'd slipped his mind that by the time Kurama and the others had made it to the tower Murugu was gone. It hadn't occurred to him to mention the damned bird since he thought she was dead. "Murugu was Suzaku's damned lackey and I thought I'd killed that damned bird when I fried his ass." Quickly Yusuke went over what little information Botan had been able to give him. "Botan said she had help to bring the plane down, I'm betting someone got pissed because they no longer had their little cult leaders to follow."

Finally coming to an end to the buttons on his shirt, Kurama snatched a jacket off the hanger and shrugged it on. His mind was racing at the possibilities, the logical place to look would be Maze castle but somehow he wasn't certain if that was the best place to look. Something done on a large enough scale to take hundreds of lives took planning and anyone smart enough to do this wouldn't make this easy on them. "I believe we are going to need Hiei's help in this matter Yusuke. Maze castle would be too easy, especially if they are hoping to bait you into searching for her."

"Yeah well Botan's already going to find him. She left it up to me to grab you and Kuwabara." Irritation flooded him at not being able to do anything just yet. Patience had never been one of his strong points to begin with and the urge to kill something was strong. Fortunately he was within a couple of blocks of Kuwabara's house, it'd just be a matter of waking the man up which was easier said than done. "Look Kurama, I'm almost at his house. How soon can you get here?" Once they were all together they could work out a game plan which would most likely be to find Hiei. Botan had been right, the apparition was the one most likely to be able to find his fiance quickly. He swore if they managed to get Keiko back there was no way in hell she was leaving him again.

"Give me ten minutes Yusuke, then we can start looking for Hiei and Botan." Kurama waited to see if there was any protest but thankfully Yusuke didn't give him any. It would take time to get to Kuwabara's house and to go searching the Makai without any leads was likely to cost them precious time they didn't have. Hearing Yusuke agree, Kurama said his goodbyes and then snapped the phone closed before running towards the front door, quickly snatching up his keys on the way.

In The Makai

"Dammit Hiei, where are you?" Botan worried her lower lip as she stared at the compass in her hand. Without the object she knew that there would be no hope of finding the apparition. There was a distinct possibility that if it hadn't been for the sample of DNA she'd gotten from each of them even with the compass she wouldn't be able to locate him. It seemed as if he were muting his energy which was a distinct possibility. After all, one didn't blatantly broadcast their presence unless they were looking for a fight. She'd been around demons long enough to have learned at least that much. Knowing that time was running out she pushed her oar to the North and prayed that she was choosing the right direction. Luck was on her side as the beeping became stronger and within minutes it was a near constant buzzing sound. Looking down into the thick canopy of trees Botan peered through the darkness hoping to spot the demon. "Hiei? Please Hiei, we need your help!"

Though he'd been dozing when the ferry girl had appeared Hiei had awoken immediately upon sensing her in the area. For a moment he was tempted to tell her that whatever it was, he wasn't interested but something about the tone of her voice made him pause. It was rare to see her venture into the Makai, rarer still for her to come unaccompanied and there was no mistaking that she was in fact alone. Deciding to reserve judgment for the moment, Hiei stood from the branch he'd been leaning on and jumped higher into the tree where he would be able to speak with the woman. "What do you want?"

"Oh thank God." Botan lowered the oar until she was hovering beside him, worry shining brightly in her eyes. She prayed that the apparition wouldn't turn her away, if he did then Keiko was as good as dead. "Keiko's been taken and we don't know where to start looking. Yusuke is getting a hold of Kurama and Kuwabara but we need your help Hiei, you're the only one who can find her in time." Even in the darkness she could see one of his eyebrows raise in surprise and somehow she just knew that he was going to say no. He'd never been that close to Keiko after all but she couldn't just let him turn her away. "Please Hiei, if nothing else do it for Yusuke! She was taken in order to get revenge on him so you know they'll kill her! If your friendship with him means anything, anything at all then please! Help us find her!"

For several long moments Hiei said nothing in response to the impassioned plea, choosing instead to think over what Botan had said. While he had no personal ties to the woman he was friends with Yusuke and that meant a great deal to him It would crush the former detective if he were to lose his chosen woman to a former enemy. It was also his job to lead stray humans back to the Ningenkai if they made their way into demon world. If this was indeed revenge Keiko's location was more than likely in the Makai, there would be no reason for them to remain in the Ningenkai at that point. With the Jagan unwarded it was easy to scan the area and to his surprise it wasn't terribly difficult to locate a human aura though it wasn't exactly close by. At the same time he was able to pick up on Yusuke's aura followed closely by two others which he was quite familiar with. Now he had a choice, go after Keiko or join up with the others and then head out. Precious time would be wasted choosing the latter option so instead he contacted Yusuke with the Jagan. 'Head to the Northeast, about fifty miles from your current position. I'm going ahead.'

Since Yusuke had no telepathic abilities Hiei had to assume that he understood that he'd just been given directions on how to get to Keiko. "Try to keep up, once we have her it will be up to you to heal her and get her out of here." The startled look on Botan's face was nearly laughable but Hiei wasn't going to stand around waiting on her to voice her opinion. A rustle of wind was all that signaled his departure though he knew that the ferry girl would be able to keep up with him though it wouldn't exactly be easy. At least he wouldn't be reduced to carrying her since she had that oar she seemed to always have at her disposal.

"Wait for me!" Botan cried out as she hurried after him, cursing under her breath. How exactly did he expect her to be able to follow him in the dark like this? It was comparable to trying to follow a shadow in a dark room, nearly impossible to do. Thankfully she still had her demon compass which proved to be a godsend, she would have lost him otherwise. The wind whipped through her hair as she pushed her oar faster in an effort to keep up. "Just how far do we have to go?" She shouted out to him but as expected there was no answer from the apparition. If anything he seemed to run even faster leaving Botan to pray that they'd reach Keiko soon.

By now they were traveling through a heavily wooded area, much thicker than the forest she'd found Hiei lounging in. How he moved so easily through the trees Botan couldn't even begin to guess, she was forced to stick to moving above the trees. There would have been no way she could have possibly traveled at the same level that the apparition did. Suddenly he stopped and she nearly passed him but stopped just in time. He was moving much more slowly and realization dawned on her that he'd sensed something. Lowering her oar she tried peering through the darkness to see what had captured the man's attention. A hand clasped over her mouth just as she started to gasp and she was relieved to see that it was Hiei who had a hold on her now.

"They haven't noticed us yet so be silent!" Cautiously Hiei lowered his hand away from the ferry girl's face. Less than one hundred yards ahead in a small clearing was Keiko who looked quite bruised and battered. He could see where blood coated the side of her face indicating she'd taken a harsh blow, most likely to convince her of the futility of fighting. A quick glance to the woman beside him showed that she seemed to be slightly ill at seeing the sight before her. Various body parts were strung around the clearing, more than one of those pieces being devoured by a green skinned demon. Keiko was the only human that remained alive though for how long was anyones guess. Occasionally a demon would venture up and as she tried to scoot away she'd be attacked viciously, more blood being drawn as serrated teeth carved into her tender flesh. There was no doubt in his mind that they fully intended on killing her before they were through. "Wait for my signal, as soon as the fight commences it will be your job to remove her from danger." He couldn't do two things at once, attempting to get Keiko out of harms way himself would leave the both of them open to attack.

Botan nodded slightly, not trusting her voice at the moment. There had been many things she had seen over her time in the service of the Reikai but this was almost too much. The only thing that made it remotely bearable was the knowledge that her friend would be safe soon and then she could begin to heal her. Within moments Hiei was moving towards the clearing with lightening speed and screams began filling the air. Kicking herself out of her startlement, Botan raced behind him and tried to ignore the sounds that surrounded them. "Keiko!" She screamed, getting the girl's attention along with the demons that surrounded her. She didn't have much time to react, leaping off of her oar before swinging it as hard as she could. The wood impacted with a demon's skull but another leaped at her before she could react. "Hiei!"

"Dammit!" Hiei swore as he sliced through the demon closest to him before bolting towards the women. His katana cut through demons with little resistance but there were far too many of them to fight off with just his sword. Quickly he landed at Botan's side, taking only a moment to slice through Keiko's bonds. "Get her the hell out of here!" Roughly he pulled Keiko to her feet and shoved her towards the ferry girl, making sure that she'd be taken care of before turning back to the enemies that had encircled them. It was far too early to breath a sigh of relief as he watched Botan grabbed a hold of Keiko and pull her up on the oar before taking to the air. Gathering a ball of fire in one hand he hurled it at the approaching demons, smirking when their robes began to catch fire. "Time for you to die!"

It was difficult to maintain a hold on the girl but Botan managed, getting the two of them to safety. Keiko seemed to almost be in shock but gradually the woman seemed to realize that she was there and held on for dear life. At the moment Botan didn't dare look back to see how Hiei was fairing, knowing that he could take care of himself. What bothered her though was the scent of smoke and burning flesh. Eager to get away from the stench Botan flew a short distance away and deposited Keiko on the ground before dematerializing her oar. "Keiko? Keiko listen to me, I'm going to heal you now. Yusuke should be on his way and we'll take you home alright?"

"Okay Botan," Keiko looked about nervously and moved closer towards her friend believing in what she said. She had been certain they were going to kill her and seeing Hiei even for the briefest of moments had hope flaring to life once more. Suddenly Botan's hands were on her, a blue glow enveloping them and seeping into her body. Slowly the bite and claw marks she'd sustained began to close and the aches that had been tormenting her for the past several hours began to fade. Only once Botan was finished did Keiko turn back towards the clearing, her eyes widening with how brightly the night sky was now lit up from the fires. Smoke covered the area and was gradually making it's way towards them. "Botan?" Keiko questioned, her nose wrinkling at the spicy scent that the smoke held. It was enough to make her skin crawl for some unknown reason and something was telling her they needed to move quickly. "We have to move, now!"

Seeing the look of fear in Keiko's face had her nodding in agreement and Botan surged to her feet, making sure Keiko was capable of running before setting off at a quick pace away from the fire. It was dangerous venturing into the Makai but they had little choice. Hiei would be able to find them easily enough once he'd finished with the apparition's that had kidnapped Keiko in the first place. After a few minutes they came across a clearing, smaller than the one they'd left Hiei in and they decided to stop. "This looks like a good place to wait for him," Botan said as she surveyed the area. The ground was covered with thick grass and small flowers peeked out from the long blades. Cautiously she plucked one of them from the ground, examining it carefully. Most of the plant life in the Makai was dangerous but there seemed to be nothing unusual about these aside from coloring.

"How long will it be until Yusuke gets here?" Keiko sat down in the soft grass and hugged her knees, wishing she was back home and in Yusuke's arms right about now. Maybe this was a sign that she wasn't meant to leave Japan. After all, if she hadn't had gotten on that plane then this would have never have happened. The sounds of the dying still reached their ears but it no longer affected her as strongly as it had when they were closer. Hiei would ensure that they remained safe until the others arrived, of this she was certain.

"I'm not sure but I can try to find out," Botan said as she pulled a communicator out of her kimono. It was a long shot that any of them would still have the communicators that she'd given them so many years ago but it was worth a shot. Opening it quickly she stared into the static filled mirror, praying that a familiar face would appear. "Come in, anyone? Yusuke?" She breathed a sigh of relief when Kuwabara's face came into view quickly followed by Yusuke pushing him out of the way.

"Botan!" Yusuke ignored the indignant shout from his friend, it'd shocked the hell out of him to hear the familiar ringing of the compact. Leave it to Kuwabara to keep the communicator as a souvenir, not that he was complaining. "Have you found Keiko yet?" As soon as Hiei had contacted him they'd set out and were making decent time. However it would still be at least an hour, possibly two before they reached the area that the apparition had indicated, even with Puu's help. The phoenix was laboring under their combined weights and not able to fly as quickly as he would have liked but Yusuke knew that Puu was giving it his all.

Just before Botan had a chance to answer Keiko moved so that Yusuke could clearly see her through the communicator. The man's relief was evident though he didn't look to pleased by the amount of blood that covered her. "She's fine Yusuke, I healed her and now we're just waiting on Hiei to find us." The last thing they needed was Yusuke flipping out, thinking that Keiko was seriously injured. The only thing the woman would suffer would be exhaustion from losing that much blood. In a few days she would be fine, once they got her back to the Ningenkai.

"Wait, where's Hiei?" Yusuke frowned at the thought of the two women being alone. Neither one of them would stand a chance being on their own for very long. Even the others looked concerned at this new development. "What the hell was Hiei thinking leaving the two of you alone?" A calming hand was laid on his shoulder before he could get worked up into too much of a temper.

"Hiei's fighting the demons, he was closer but somehow he started a fire and we had to move." Really, Botan didn't like the idea of being away from the apparition anymore than Yusuke did but they couldn't have helped it. It was either that or remain in that strange cloud of smoke, even Keiko realized there was something wrong with it which had her questioning whether it could effect Hiei badly. "Yusuke, is Kurama there?" If anyone would know the answer to that particular question it would be the kitsune. This was his home after all. A worried frown crossed her face as she thought about it, healing demon's was a completely different matter than humans. If it adversely affected Hiei then there wasn't likely to be much that she could do. Suddenly Kurama appeared in the compact, clearly wondering why she asked for him. "Oh good you are there."

"Indeed though I have to wonder why you would ask for me." One thin red eyebrow raised, waiting for an answer to that particular question. Keiko was safe and Botan's abilities would be more than enough to heal her so what possible need would she have for him? He could feel the curiosity of the others pressing in around him but for now he ignored the feeling.

"Look, this is going to sound really odd but I have a question for you. When the fire started there was nothing strange about it but as it grew and began to take over the forest its scent changed." Just what the smell was Botan couldn't exactly describe since it wasn't something she'd encountered before. It was obvious she had the kitsune's attention and he was silently waiting for her to continue. "It was... almost spicy, it's hard to explain but there was something more to it. It just felt wrong and we left the area but Hiei stayed to fight in it."

"Spicy?" Kurama's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of what Botan was trying to describe. What he did know was the reason behind the question, the ferry girl was worried about Hiei and with good reason. If it set off her instincts to leave it couldn't be good. "Tell me Botan, did you take note of any unusual plant life in the area?" A strange smoke filling the air could only mean that the fires had engulfed a large group of plants that weren't meant to be burned but there were far too many possibilities for him to narrow it down with only a spicy scent as a description.

Thinking back Botan realized that she hadn't taken much note of the plant life, she'd been too busy noticing the body parts being eaten at the time. 'Oh man, this is what I get for not paying attention!' She continued to go over her memory of what she'd seen but it was difficult. "I remember a lot of trees, it was in a forest clearing and there were a lot of vines covering them. It was almost like Ivy I think." However it was Keiko who came to the rescue, unsurprising since she'd been the one to spend the majority of the time in the clearing.

Reaching down Keiko picked a handful of the small flowers that poked up from the ground and thrust them at the communicator so Kurama could get a good view. "There were a lot of these on the ground but they were crushed when the demons set up camp. Come to think of it, the clearing looked a lot like this one just larger." When she pulled her hand away from the compact she fell silent, seeing the stunned look on Kurama's face. "Was it something I said?" Now she was getting nervous, Kurama wasn't one to look worried over much. Normally he was so calm about everything it was scary.

"Are you sure those flowers were the ones you saw in the clearing that you left Hiei in?" A foreboding feeling had made itself home in Kurama's chest. He'd recognized the flowers immediately and it was then that he knew the two females were in trouble if Keiko was certain. The flowers were delicate, a pale white that glowed in the moonlight with faint lavender spots gracing the delicate petals. In small amounts there was little danger if they were to be burned or eaten however in large doses... Kurama sighed heavily before casting a look over to Yusuke. Things were about to get very complicated if they weren't careful.

Keiko nodded hesitantly, wondering just what the flowers were. Thinking she might be holding something deadly in her hands she cast them to the ground, hoping that some deadly poison hadn't been absorbed into her skin. "Those were the flowers Kurama, why? What will they do to us?" The fear was evident in her voice and she didn't bother trying to contain it. Had Hiei and Botan rescued her only to have all three of them die some painful, lingering death?

"The flowers won't do anything to you if you didn't breathe in high doses of the smoke." Kurama reassured them though he was feeling rather sick to his stomach. Right now they weren't in any danger but once Hiei came out of the fight it would be another story. "Listen, those flowers are very potent when consumed and breathing in the smoke works just as well as eating them. Right now Hiei has most likely inhaled a great deal of the smoke and that's what you have to worry about." He took a deep breath, unsure of just how to continue. What he had to say wasn't likely to make any of them happy but there was little that they could do to change things, at least until they reached where the girls were. "Consider it something akin to an aphrodisiac but not quite the same. The results manifest in a couple of different ways and most likely Hiei doesn't even realize he's under the effects right now. For as long as there are demons to kill it will take the form of blood lust. However when the enemies run out it will channel itself in another way."

Though many might consider him stupid Yusuke picked up on what Kurama was saying with ease. Being no stranger to fighting he knew exactly what that aggression would change into. "You don't mean..." His eyes widened, thinking just how bad this could be for the two women. If Hiei had inhaled a large amount either one of the girl's would be a likely candidate to sate his lusts on and it wouldn't be something that he could necessarily control. "Fuck! Is there anything you can do to counter it?"

Kurama shook his head sadly, knowing that the man wouldn't like the answer. "Not until we get there Yusuke. I can give him something after to fight the effects off but by then it's likely to be too late, he won't be able to control himself." Seeing the confused look that Keiko was giving him he turned his attention back to the girl. "Keiko, you and Botan are going to have to deal with Hiei shortly and neither of you are going to like hearing this. Once the enemy has been eliminated he's going to look at the both of you as potential bed partners." It was the gentlest way he could think of to break it to the two of them but he could easily see that Keiko was outraged and scared by the idea with good reason. Botan's reaction however couldn't be determined as she wasn't close enough to the compact for him to see. One of them was going to have to make a choice or Hiei would end up taking the both of them.

Though she wasn't in sight of the communicator, Botan heard what was said easily enough. However the majority of her attention was now turned towards the way that they'd come from and it wasn't hard to figure out that the fight was nearing its end. The sounds of the fighting was dying down quickly and it wouldn't be long before Hiei returned to claim his prize for winning the fight. It left the two of them in a dilemma, one that wasn't easily solved. On one hand she could drag Keiko up on her oar and try to get away from the apparition but she knew how futile the gesture would be. Most likely Hiei would catch them and there would be every possibility that he'd be pissed off that they'd attempted to escape in the first place. Or she could stop Hiei before he had a chance to go for Keiko though there was a chance he'd want to kill her for it later. Sleeping with the man wasn't something she'd considered in the past but it was clear from Kurama's explanation that one of them at the very least was going to end up laying down for the demon before the others had a chance to get there. Thinking she saw a shadow moving towards them Botan quickly made her choice, praying that she wasn't making the wrong decision. Turning towards Keiko she grasped the woman by the shoulder, forcing her to look at her. "Whatever you do, do not leave this clearing alright? You should be safe enough here, I'll take care of Hiei." She stared wide eyed into Keiko's eyes making sure she understood what had been said and ignored the startled cries coming from the compact. "I'll be back as soon as I can, keep the compact on you at least then you'll have contact with them while I'm gone."

"Botan!" Keiko was torn between calling the woman back and letting her go. She had no desire to sleep with the apparition but she didn't want to be left alone in the forest either. However the woman didn't give her any notice as she turned from her and walked off back towards the clearing. "Be careful Botan." Already she could see the ferry girl's hands going to her obi, tugging it free as the darkness surrounded her. Knowing that Botan wouldn't be swayed in this she turned her attention back to the communicator. "He won't hurt her, will he?"

Botan wasn't exactly sure how far she would have to go but she wanted to get far enough away that Keiko wouldn't have to hear what was about to happen. The feeling of being watched was strong as she brought her shaking hands up to the parted material of her kimono. A flash of movement caught her eye and suddenly she was confronted with the intense stare of the apparition she'd sought out. There was no hesitation as she pushed the silk off of her shoulders and it fell to the ground behind her, leaving her to stand bare before him. How would he react to the way she was offering herself to him? Anxiously she waited for his answer, not knowing whether he would accept her or continue on and pursue Keiko. Time stood still for several long moments before he leapt to the ground and began walking towards her. She didn't see any crazed emotions in his eyes and Botan was fairly certain he recognized exactly who she was. But still, there was no mistaking the way that his hands went to his belts. The apparition had lost his cloak sometime in the fight and was now bare from the waist up.

"You would give yourself willingly to me?" The fierce burning within his body had erupted quickly, refused to be denied and now Botan stood before him like an offering meant for the Gods. He wasn't sure what had started this exactly but as he stared at the woman standing naked in front of him he realized that there was no way in hell he was about to turn her away. His pants were discarded quickly, giving her a clear idea of just what he intended on doing to her. Would she reconsider the stand she had taken? It wouldn't surprise him if she tried to run, it wasn't as if there were any feelings of affection between them. His eyes narrowed as Botan took a step back from him, as if she were contemplating her chances of escaping but he put an end to such thoughts quickly. Closing the remaining distance between them, Hiei roughly grabbed her by the waist and pushed her up against a tree, leaning back to gaze at her nude form in appreciation. The kimono she wore concealed much and it was only now that he realized just how tempting she truly was. "You're thinking of running, thinking maybe you can escape me." A smirk tugged at the corners of Hiei's lips as he ran a hand up the inside of her thigh. "You know I'll find you and when I do..."

Three hours later

Keiko drew her knees in closer and waited to see if Botan was going to be returning anytime soon. The noises coming from her and Hiei had finally stopped fifteen minutes before but she wasn't certain if they were just taking a breather or if they were really done. It was more than a little uncomfortable listening to them but it wasn't as if she had much of a choice. What was even more embarrassing was trying to hold a conversation with Yusuke with that going on in the background. Now it would be a race to see who returned first, according to Yusuke they were mere minutes away which brought up another interesting dilemma. If Hiei wasn't finished yet then Kurama could give him an antidote to counteract the flower's effects but would he be willing to take it. Judging by what she had heard he was more than enjoying himself as was Botan. What this meant for the future was uncertain but at the moment she'd just be happy to get home in one piece.

The sound of wings beating the air alerted her to Puu's arrival long before she had a chance to actually see the Phoenix. However moments later Yusuke dropped down out of the air to land next to her, his arms crushing her to his chest. For a moment she said nothing, grateful that he was there. When she pulled back slightly to look at him she could tell the man had been through hell thinking she might be dead and he couldn't save her. "Oh Yusuke..." She pressed her face to his chest, relieved that their ordeal was finally over.

"I'm here Keiko." Yusuke didn't bother to look around for Botan or the apparition. He'd been listening as they flew through the darkness and he knew that they were both okay. Later when he saw Botan he'd have to thank her for what she'd done, undoubtedly things would be incredibly difficult between her and Hiei for a while. Moments later Kurama was standing beside them, carefully looking Keiko over for any sign of an injury that Botan wouldn't be able to treat. Even he was breathing a sigh of relief when the kitsune nodded ever so slightly that she was fine. Kuwabara would no doubt be joining them shortly, as soon as Puu found a suitable place to land. Getting everyone back could prove to be very interesting though, the phoenix could only carry so many people. If Hiei and Botan were as exhausted as he believed they would be then they were going to need a ride as well. Not willing to give up his hold on the woman in his arms just yet, Yusuke gave Kurama a speculative look. "Shouldn't someone go check on them?"

"You're probably right. Enough time has passed that the antidote would be pointless, it's likely to have run it's course already. Still, it can't hurt to look, I'll return and let you know what is going on," Kurama said before stepping away from the two. He wasn't about to insist Yusuke leave Keiko to go check on the two. With the way the Toushin had been talking the woman was going to be lucky if he let her out of his sight after this. It had been an even closer call than when Hiei had kidnapped Keiko and now Yusuke wasn't going to take any chances. Fortunately Kurama knew that Botan and Hiei couldn't be too far away. It was easy to trace the ferry girl's path through the woods, a broken branch here or a strand of blue hair in another spot. Soon enough he came to the place where Hiei had decided to take her and he wasn't surprised to see the both of them sleeping. Botan was sprawled on his chest with one of his arms wrapped loosely around her waist.

Carefully he examined them both and was unsurprised to learn that the sleep Hiei had entered bordered on hibernation. He'd expended a great deal of energy both in the battle and the activities that followed shortly after. It would be a few hours before the man came out of it and Kurama really didn't want to guess at his disposition when he did. It was well known that he detested the woman laying on him now but there was no telling how tonight's events would change their relationship. Botan's slumber however was more from exhaustion and she remained unaffected by the plants thanks to their quick thinking. Slowly he approached the two of them, while he wasn't worried about waking Hiei up he didn't want to scare Botan unnecessarily. Kneeling down he picked up her discarded kimono and then proceeded to drape it over the woman to at least give her some measure of privacy. Only then did he gently shake her shoulder, pulling her from her sleep. "Botan, it's time to wake up."

"Kurama?" Botan blinked sleepily at him before pushing away from Hiei. The apparition's arm didn't even try to keep her from moving this time which let her know that he was truly finished. "Is it time to go home?" Already Botan was planning what she would do upon arriving back in the Reikai. A nice warm shower was sounding good right about now followed by something to eat. She'd worry about speaking with Hiei later, assuming that he wanted to talk about this at all which was doubtful.

"It is, Yusuke and Keiko are back where you left her. I imagine Kuwabara is now as well." There was no mistaking the dark circles under her eyes nor the way she seemed to be having a hard time focusing on her surroundings. It drove the point home that there was no way she could return to the Reikai on her own. Hell, he wouldn't trust her to be able to remain balanced on her oar long enough to get airborne at the moment. Unfortunately it brought up an even larger problem, six people was far too much for Puu to carry over such a long distance. Someone would have to remain behind which was dangerous in itself. Yusuke would no doubt see to Keiko and Kuwabara could keep either Hiei or Botan steady as they flew towards the Ningenkai but not both.

It was enough to have Botan getting to her feet, more than ready to leave the forest but something about Kurama's expression stopped her. The man was still looking at the apparition with a hint of worry and that had her stopping in her tracks. Had he not told them about all of the plants side effects or was this something else that was worrying him? "Kurama, aren't you coming?" It was a given that he would be the one to carry Hiei, there was no way she could attempt it now.

Kurama shook his head, Hiei would have to remain behind until he woke up but he wasn't going to leave the man alone for anyone who happened upon him. "Puu can't carry that many people. I'll stay here with Hiei until he wakes up, go ahead and return to the others." He turned from her then, focusing his ki into the surrounding plant life to create a barrier that would alert him to anyone who ventured into the area, clearly thinking that she'd be in a rush to get out of the Makai.

That was a clear dismissal if ever Botan had heard one but still she hesitated in leaving. The plants were growing thicker and she had a good idea of what it was he was doing. On one hand she wanted to do as he had said and leave the area but on the other she knew that she couldn't. Hiei had only come because she'd asked him to and while it was more likely his friendship with Yusuke that swayed his decision Botan still felt responsible. They'd started this together, what kind of friend would she be if she abandoned him now? Her mind made up she returned to Hiei's side, sitting in the grass next to him and staring defiantly at Kurama when he looked at her in surprise. "I'll stay with him."

"You don't have to do this." Kurama knew that she was probably feeling responsible right about now and as much as he appreciated the gesture he wasn't sure just how anxious she was to face Hiei when he woke up. "He'll be fine, all he needs is time to hibernate and then he'll most likely return to his post. Go home Botan, I can see that you are cold and tired. I'll take care of him now."

"I'm not leaving Kurama." Botan pulled her kimono tighter to her body. Yes she was cold, tired and just a bit sore but Hiei was a friend and she wasn't going to leave him. "Go ahead and finish making your plant thing, I'll stay here with him. He's probably going to want to talk, you know?" Seeing Kurama's skeptical look she couldn't quite blame him but she wanted to make sure that things were okay between them as well and that would be almost impossible with an audience. Hiei would close up faster than a clam and there would be no speaking with him, she had to get Kurama to leave.

Hearing the determination in Botan's voice left him in quite a dilemma, he could force the woman to go but she wasn't likely to forgive him of such a thing and he had no doubts that she would get even with him for the indiscretion sooner or later. Or he could agree to her terms and allow her to stay, the question was would she be safe? Carefully he extended his ki into the forest and examined the level of threat that was in the area. Most of the demons had cleared out of the area feeling Hiei's enormous ki at battle levels and most likely they'd avoid this particular part of the forest for many days, not wanting to see if he was territorial over the area. Still, it wouldn't do to take chances. If Botan was to remain then she would be well protected on the off chance someone decided to come and investigate. Within moments a barrier was erected that surrounded them completely, even to the point of cutting off the rainfall. On the outside of the shell another layer of plants sprang from the ground, vicious looking vines that dripped an acidic solution from their gaping jaws. The final touch was to key the plants to the beings contained within the barrier. Only they would be able to pass through without being torn apart and devoured. "The barrier is in place, are you certain you wish to remain? Once we leave you will have no choice but to remain until he awakens."

"Of course, thank you for trusting me to stay with him Kurama." Botan smiled slightly at the man as she moved to lay down beside the apparition once again. Now that they were out of the rain perhaps they could begin to get warm again though she wished she knew where Hiei had thrown his cloak. It certainly wasn't anywhere near where they were and starting a fire was out of the question. Everything was wet and there was no hopes of getting it to burn even if she had the materials to start a fire anyway. At least Hiei gave off a decent amount of body hear. Between him and her kimono she should be able to stay warm enough.

Nodding slightly Kurama turned and walked out through the small gap the plants had given, turning only to make sure it sealed itself again before walking back towards the others. He could only hope that she had indeed made the right choice and that Hiei wouldn't hold a grudge against her for what they had done. While it hadn't been her fault there was no telling how his partner would handle it. There was every chance that he'd be livid that the girl hadn't tried to escape with Keiko though all of them know it would have been a futile gesture at best. He pushed through the wet underbrush and met Yusuke's questioning gaze. All of them turned towards him and he just knew they were wondering where Botan and Hiei were. "They will remain here, I've put up a barrier to ensure they will remain undisturbed until they wish to leave." Silently he hoped that they wouldn't question him on why Botan chose to remain behind. More than likely hearing the girl's reason would prompt both Yusuke and Kuwabara into trying to speak to her themselves and he did not want to be around should that occur.

"Is that good idea?" Kuwabara wasn't certain about leaving Botan alone with Hiei again but if Kurama said they'd be fine then he would have to believe it. Maybe the shrimp was still under the influence and had refused the antidote. In that case there was no way in hell he was going to go intruding on them. Seeing that particular man naked had him shuddering, Hiei would certainly want his head on a platter if he barged in on... whatever they were doing at the time. It was best not to think about.

Figuring out what Kuwabara had come up with wasn't exactly hard and Kurama wasn't about to correct the man's thinking. If he wanted to believe that Hiei and Botan were still 'involved' then who was he to correct that assumption? "They'll be fine. Let this run its course, there is nothing more we can do here and I'm sure Keiko is anxious to get home." Of course that could be considered an understatement Kurama thought as he gazed up at the girl. She was already sitting on Puu's back with Yusuke, they'd just been waiting on him to come back with the others.

"Alright if you're sure man." Kuwabara remarked before climbing up on the phoenix himself. Kurama was behind him moments later and Puu launched himself in the air before he really had a chance to get a good grip. "Hey! Watch it!" Though the move had been unexpected there was no real heat in his words. Puu was more than likely feeling Yusuke's anxiousness and mirroring it. Knowing the two of them they'd be home in less time than it had taken to get there.

A groan escaped him as Hiei tried to turn over onto his side and encountered a warm body. Slowly his eyes opened and he peered at the woman laying next to him, her arms wrapped around him tightly in her sleep. As much as he wished he could go back to sleep the apparition knew that he couldn't. Every detail of last night stood out clearly to him in vivid detail and damned if it wasn't exciting him once again. This time however he could control himself, no longer being a slave to whatever it was that had taken a hold of him on that night. As he stared down at Botan he wondered if she was going to regret what had happened between them. He hadn't exactly been gentle, it wasn't in his nature but she'd taken it without complaint. As he watched her Botan's eyes opened ever so slowly though she made no attempt to move from his side. "Shouldn't the others be here by now?" Something told him he'd been asleep for hours and there was no way in hell it would have taken Yusuke so long to reach them unless they'd run into trouble.

"They left a while ago, Puu couldn't carry everyone so I chose to stay behind with you." The fact that he wasn't screaming at her was already a plus in Botan's book though when he sat up she had to sigh at the loss of body heat. She couldn't complain though, he probably didn't want her touching him at all in spite of what had happened. One thing worried her though and that was the way that he was staring at her, his expression one she couldn't decipher. "Are you okay Hiei?" Instinctively she pulled the kimono closer, trying to preserve what little warmth she still had.

"Of course I am," He snapped, unsure of quite what to make of the situation. Never had he fantasized about the woman in front of him and now that he'd had a taste of her his body wanted more. Yet she was a friend, even if she wasn't a close one and he wasn't about to suggest she become a fuck buddy just to sate his lusts on. Botan wasn't that kind of woman and he wasn't even going to consider propositioning her in such a fashion. To distract his mind from remembering just how good she had felt he looked towards the barrier that had been erected around them. It even blocked out the sun preventing him for estimating how long they had been there. "I should have known, only Kurama would erect such a thing for a reason other than guarding a personal treasure."

Botan toyed with the end of the pink material before looking up when she heard him walking away. Despite having lain with the man a blush still graced her cheeks when he bent over to pick up his discarded pants. "Yeah well, Kurama was going to but I thought I should be the one to stay with you. Since I'm the one who convinced you to look for Keiko and all. I couldn't leave you behind, it wouldn't have been right." Modesty required her to look away as he dressed himself but it didn't stop her from stealing a glance every now and then. He truly was a piece of work, she had to give him that.

Hearing her say that was the last thing that Hiei had expected. He'd known that the girl was loyal but he'd done nothing to earn that from her really. Had it been Yusuke in his place or even Kuwabara he might have expected such a thing, but not for him. "And why do you remain now?" There was no malice in his tone, only curiosity. He was awake yet still she sat upon the ground looking away from him. He would have almost believed she was afraid to look upon a nude male except he saw how she covertly gazed upon him when she thought she could get away with it.

"Because I'm wasn't going to go until I was sure you were alright." Reluctantly she got to her feet, regretting that their time together was over. For once there had been no death threats given and they were actually able to stand each others presence. It was a rather nice change from the ordinary. His eyes darted about, finally coming to a rest on her obi. It took some effort but she finally managed to get it properly tied though Botan was certain she looked like a mess. When she turned back towards Hiei he was regarding her with that strange expression once more though she wasn't going to question him a second time. Obviously whatever it was he wanted to keep it to himself and she wasn't going to ruin it by annoying him. "Well, I guess this is goodbye then." Before she could lose her nerve she walked up to him and pressed a fleeting kiss to his lips, nearly giggling at the way his eyes widened in surprise. Quickly she materialized her oar and took to the air, breathing a sigh of relief when the barrier made way for her and she was able to pass without any problems.

Before Botan could get too far ahead of him Hiei lept into the trees and began to follow her. His first thought was that she'd return to the Reikai but she surprised him yet again by turning towards the Ningenkai. Most likely she'd be heading to Genkai's which meant she'd need to travel through some of the more dangerous parts of the Makai. There was no way he'd allow her to make the journey on her own so from a distance he trailed after her, a silent shadow watching over her as she'd done for him the night before. While he wasn't sure what to make of just how things were between them now, her responses had given him much to think about. Maybe later when the memories weren't so fresh in his mind he would decide just how to proceed in this new, uncharted territory.


End file.
